Mass Effect 3 Reviews Are In: What Do You Think?

Now that one of the biggest game release of the year has landed, and EA’s Mass Effect 3 is available to buy from all good retailers, and with our review on its way as soon as Michael Atkinson stops trying to have sex with so many aliens and gets his typing head on, it’s time to share your own experiences of the game so far?

Is it the ground-breaking, game-changing trilogy ender that EA and BioWare wanted? Will it still be on everyone’s minds come Awards time at the end of this year and start of next?

Well, if the major reviews that have already appeared around the web are anything to go by, it’s certainly a contender. Here’s a run-down of what some of the other big players are saying about Mass Effect 3…

“All told, Mass Effect 3 is an absolutely amazing game, one that successfully puts a bow on the Mass Effect trilogy while still leaving us hungry for even more. It looks and plays great, but Mass Effect 3’s true strength lies in its ability to tell a deeply-woven story. Better yet, the sheer ambition shown by BioWare in announcing an intersecting trilogy complete with save importation becomes fully realized in Mass Effect 3. BioWare deserves applause for not only having the courage to attempt something like the Mass Effect trilogy, but for pulling it off with such exceptional poise and skill.

Mass Effect 3 isn’t the best game ever made. But it’ll certainly be in the conversation for a very long time to come.”

“As with any game that dares to be ambitious, deconstruct Mass Effect 3 into its constituent parts and of course there are flaws, but taken as a whole this is arguably the first truly modern blockbuster, a game that transcends the genre boundaries of old and takes what it needs from across the gaming spectrum in order to finish its story in the most compelling, thrilling, heartbreaking way possible. Few gaming sagas come to a definitive close, but this one signs off in breathtaking style.”

“It’s a fitting end to the trilogy, although it’s not the leap that Mass Effect 2 was from the original. There’s a lot of new content, and the combat is superior, but it still has the same rhythm and general feel of the last game. That’s an incredibly minor gripe, though. Mass Effect 2 is one of this generation’s best games, so the similarity is no bad thing. It’s iteration rather than repetition.”

“Mass Effect 3 caps off a trilogy that is well constructed, imaginative, and even thought provoking. What’s more, it may play out the time-worn cliché of saving the universe, but BioWare has filtered that old chestnut through a story that feels genuinely new, even within the confines of a very crowded genre.”

“For two full games, we heard about the Reapers. Mass Effect 3 shows us how great this threat is both to the inhabitants of this fictional universe and to the players who must face off against it. I guided Shepard across three massive games spanning over 100 hours, and feel BioWare has delivered one of the most intricately crafted stories in the history of the medium. After getting to know these characters so well, it’ll be hard to leave this universe behind, but it’s been one hell of a ride.”

“Improves many of the series’ individual elements, and provides finality to a saga in which numbers of us have invested dozens of hours. But despite this success, it’s unable to reward the effort and investment of players in the same way previous games did. Still, it handles its subject matter in a way that invites you to care, and the addition of multiplayer does add another dimension to the game. When all has been said and done, there’s a very good chance that you’ll feel something.”

“Mass Effect 3 is brave enough to threaten to destroy its very own legacy. Everything you’ve worked for is genuinely at risk, and horrifying things are going to happen because of some of the choices you’ve made. If you’ve spent as long as we have with these characters, the impact of this final journey will be one you don’t forget for years. Brave, thrilling, and incredibly emotional, Mass Effect 3 is a sci-fi masterpiece.”

“This is a masterpiece. Arguing otherwise would be like pointing out the dust sitting on the Mona Lisa’s frame. The combat? Sure, it’s great. Really great. But a lot of games manage that. The score? Subtle, moving. The voice acting? Impeccable. Again, we’ve seen those things in great games before.

But not a lot of games – almost no games, in fact – manage to establish the kind of white-hot emotional connection between player, cast and setting that Mass Effect 3 somehow conjures. That’s the reason this story of Earth, the galaxy and Shepard’s last stand is so harrowing, and why people will be talking about it for years to come.”

“While there is a definite finality to Mass Effect 3, the wealth of plot-based variables are likely to inspire second, third and fourth playthroughs, not just of the latest game but of the entire trilogy.Mass Effect 3 is truly unique in this respect, leaving no stone unturned and offering full closure, yet still leaving players with countless ‘what ifs’. It’s these unanswered questions that have driven the Mass Effect experience, and will motivate players to see their mission through to its glorious end.”

“More than ever, the Mass effect universe pulls off the masterful trick of feeling huge and yet believable – the game’s production values are through the roof, and its third-person shooter controls incredibly precise, responsive and accurate given Mass Effect’s immense scope. It really does feel like a TV sci-fi series in which you play the central character – which highlights the current absence of significant sci-fi series from our TV screens.”

What do you think of Mass Effect 3, and what do you want to see from future DLC? Let us know below.

Discussion

4 Comments

Finished it yesterday (might explain why I haven’t written much for the site over the last 5 days) Stunning game, great end to the series and despite the glitchy animation and lip sync issues, a truly fantastic experience.

Have to agree with Marcus on the issues with the glitchy animation, made me think there was something wrong with my system. Add in that the game refuses to recognize the saved information I have from ME2 and the limited character models and it feels like a copy of ME2 with less oppertunity to interact with your crew. Add in the limited responses and seemingly over abundance of weapons that no matter how much you sink into improving performance makes them only slightly better than the stock versions.

The story is still engaging but I could have waited till the price drop $10 or even $20 or they fixed all the bugs. 8/10 review for me.

I usually have a whole bunch of little picky things to say about the games i play. That may be controls, general gameplay of the lack of a block button (I am Alive)or another annoyance. Mass Effect 3 however is a 10 out of 10 game. I do not work for IGN so my view is not payed.
~If you have not played this game yet please do so. the story is amazing and the characters are great,
(R.I.P Morden)